Prototype 2: The Infected and the Flyer

In just a few months, Prototype 2 will be upon us and we'll all be running through New York City tearing bad guys apart with arm blades and disgusting tendril moves. When that happens, you're not going to have time to sit down and ponder how the cast of this title let their world get into this sickening state. So, Activision and Radical Entertainment are sharing bios, screenshots and concept art with IGN now.

The Infected

The standard Blacklight entity is the Infected — standard human-sized and (generally) human-shaped walking dead that wander the streets mindlessly and seek to devour flesh and organs. A Blacklight outbreak appears to create hordes of these creatures; in reality, they represent less than 1% of all victims of the virus.

Infected are created when a Blacklight infection does not kill a victim but also fails to activate any notable dormant DNA in the victim. The victim will awaken from unconsciousness, display the intelligence of an animal, and seek purely to kill and consume living (and dead) organisms.

Infected retain a humanoid appearance but manifest various tumors and other viral growths that tear through clothing and greatly alter their silhouette. They have average speed, enhanced strength, and can be killed the same way as a regular human. -Activision

The Flyer

Flyers are a brand new phenomenon that have begun to appear in the skies over NYZ since the beginning of the second outbreak. Flyers are vulture-like monsters that spread the plague and attack anything that stands — or flies — in the open.

The origin of the Flyers has not been uncovered. Other than the Hydra, they are the only Blacklight monster that does not have a humanoid physiology. It's possible that Flyers are city birds (pigeons, crows, starlings) that have been infected and mutated by the virus.

Flyers look like diseased vultures. They have pinkish flesh, scraggly feathers, and gnarled faces. Their wingspan is approximately two meters and they have bulk sufficient to knock a helicopter out of the sky. Their favorite attack method is to perform a high-speed dive-bomb. They mass in flocks. -Activision